1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electricity metering, particularly electronic platforms for same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Metering of electricity is necessary to properly bill consumers of electricity for their electric energy consumption. This metering is typically accomplished through the use of an electricity meter attached to a power line between a building (home, business, or otherwise) and the electric company.
A typical prior art system to measure power consumption is shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1. An electric company 101 provides electricity through a power line 102 to a building 106 through a circuit-breaker panel 105. An electricity meter 103 is connected to power line 102 (typically directly in-line between electric company 101 and building 106) to measure power consumption within/around building 106. Within building 106, the electricity can be accessed by operating an electrical device connected to a power point 108 (e.g., a wall socket) on a building electrical circuit 107 connected to the circuit-breaker panel 105. Building 106 typically contains multiple electrical circuits 107, each with multiple power points 108.
Electricity meters operate by continuously measuring the instantaneous voltage (in volts) and current (in amperes), and then calculating the product of the voltage and current to determine the instantaneous electrical power (in watts). The power can then be integrated over time to determine energy consumption (in joules, kilowatt-hours etc.). Traditional electromechanical meters are now being replaced by electronic smart meters.
Smart meters record consumption of electrical energy, and are rapidly replacing traditional electromechanical meters such as interval or time-of-use meters. Smart meters are attractive to various customer classes (residential, commercial, and industrial) because they can provide features that traditional electricity meters cannot, such as automatic meter reading, real-time or near real-time sensors, power outage notification, remote reporting, and power quality monitoring. In addition, smart meters can communicate information about energy consumption in a two-way wireless communication between the meter and the electric company, thereby facilitating both monitoring and billing. The typical smart meter is limited, however, in that it is designed to calculate only the power consumption (wattage) for an entire structure.